Let me be your eyes
by Hiro Chiba
Summary: Naruto has been blind since birth, but that's the least of his worries. His parents think because of it he will be weak his whole life. He is under constant protection and surveillance thanks to his dad...Full summary inside. NarutoxHinata pairing. Completed!
1. Prologue

**Let me be your eyes**

-Chiba Hiro

**Summary**: **Naruto has been blind since birth, but that's the least of his worries. His parents think that because he is blind-for possibly forever-he'll be weak for the rest of his life and that he'll be under constant protection and surveillance. He yearns to be free from his eternal prison and overprotective and paranoid parents. One day though, he is pushed beyond the limits of what he could take, so he runs away, far away. But, who is this girl he meets along the way? Will she be the one with the key to his freedom? NarutoxHinata pairing. Please R&R.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its content. All of it belongs to the rightful creators! Enjoy!**

… … …

_Prologue_-

In a hospital somewhere in Tokyo, eight years ago-

A young woman with vibrant red hair and dark brown eyes was currently under labor, and was expecting a child, a boy. Her husband, a tall man somewhere in his late twenties with golden blonde hair and ocean blue eyes, sat right next to her, holding her hand comfortingly. They had been married for two years, and the woman, named Kushina, wanted so very badly to be a mother, and finally she was getting the chance to be one.

In just a few hours her son will be born and she'll finally be able to cradle her young in her arms lovingly, like she had seen many mothers do. She once felt a twinge of jealousy that these women have something that she didn't have, and that was a child of her own. Now she was finally getting that chance, the chance she had been waiting for since she started attending college and met her husband-to-be, Minato.

She loved children, and worked at a children's daycare. So, in essence, she has firsthand experience in taking care of children within the ages of 6 months to four years old.

Minato, on the other hand, had very little contact with kids younger than six, so, in essence, he is terrible at taking care of babies, no questions about it. He'll have to leave the hard part to his wife who had experience working at the daycare for years. But, even though he was terrible at taking care of kids, the thought of having a son of his own excited him to no end. He wondered what his son would be like.

He had grown up extraordinarily to a wealthy business family, and went to private school for the majority of his life. He got the top grades in all of his classes, and participated in many extra-curricular activities at school. In essence, his father was proud of him and had high hopes for him. He graduated with honors and got a scholarship to the top school in Japan, Tokyo University. It wasn't until University that he finally met Kushina. At first, she didn't acknowledge him, and often preferred to be alone. But that all changed once Sophomore year came and he finally worked up the courage to talk with her.

In the years he had spent observing her from the sidelines, he had learned that she came from a very similar background to his own, but chose not to take over her family business, preferring to work with children when she grew older. At first glance, Kushina gave off a silent and aloof aura. But, boy did that change once he finally talked to her. She was a chatterbox that would almost never stop talking. Soon enough, they both hit it off, and Kushina began to warm up to Minato, or had she always been that way? No way to tell now since that was all in the past and this was their happy present. Anyway, they immediately began going out together.

One day Minato found the courage to propose to her, and she said 'yes!'. She agreed to it, but only on the condition that he wait to put the engagement ring on her after they both got their degrees. So they did and had a very happy time together engaged. Then came the wedding day two years ago, and now this...

It wasn't that he disliked children, he just hadn't had that much time to spend time with any children. Minato was not your ordinary twenty-nine year old in fact, he owns his own business, the Namikaze Co., which was one of the most influential businesses in Tokyo.

He had taken over the company's position as president after his father, Makoto Namikaze passed away…Anyway, as heir to the company's former president, Minato naturally had to take over since he was directly related to his father. Duh! Of course he would be chosen to take over. He had been expecting it for a while, and now he was at the top thanks to his…dearly departed father. The cause of death was an unknown cancer that he had been suffering for years since he turned 60.

Not long after Kushina was finished, a beautiful baby boy was cradled in her arms lovingly. Minato looked upon his son with pride. He would become the company's next president, he just knew it. The baby surprisingly, had a head of spiky blonde hair like Minato, and had peach-colored skin like him (but no whisker-like markings on his cheeks), but they couldn't tell what color his eyes were because they were shut tightly

"Oh, what should we name him?" Kushina asked, a warm smile directed at her baby.

"I know! How about Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze!" Minato exclaimed with glee, and Kushina agreed with him immediately.

"Naruto…that's a very nice name." she grinned. "I like it!"

"So it's decided then!"

Then, the doctor, Shizune, came in to examine the baby, named Naruto, and gives him the necessary immunizations and left just as quickly to leave the happy couple with their new baby.

_One week later_-

They had finally gotten the results for Naruto's test, and it wasn't looking good at all. The entire week since they had returned home, Naruto had yet to open his eyes. They called his doctor to ask if she knew anything about it. Kushina may not be entirely knowledgeable when it came to medical terms, but she knew it wasn't normal that your baby hasn't opened his eyes at all since birth.

Doctor Shizune theorized that maybe Naruto will open his eyes in time, so they waited until that happened, but it never did come. The only time they knew he was awake was when Naruto started crying.

_Three weeks later_-

Naruto had yet to even open his eyes and Minato and Kushina were very worried, so they confronted the doctor yet again. So, she performed the necessary tests, and discovered something very serious. But how does one break bad news to the parents of a four-week old baby.

Dr. Shizune went through many scenarios in which to tell them, but she didn't want to be the bearer of bad news. One of the worse things about being a doctor was that if something bad came up in a report she had to be the one to tell the patients what went wrong, or if they'll live another week. She hated it so much that she cried her eyes out in the bathroom for thirty minutes.

When she finally calmed down and splashed her face to rid it of the tear tracks that stained her cheeks, she brought young Naruto back to his respective parents. What had surprised them was that Naruto had finally opened his eyes for the first time since he was born. Indeed, he had Minato's eyes, an ocean blue hue, but something was wrong. Baby Naruto's face was devoid of any emotions and showed no indication that he recognized these people.

When Kushina and Minato finally looked closely at their son's eyes, they noticed how there were no pupils in his blue irises, and were oddly clouded and hazy, instead of bright and shining like Minato's. Something was definitely wrong with their son, and Kushina was determined to find out what that was.

"Doctor, is Naruto okay?" Kushina asked seriously, looking deeply into the doctor's own dark eyes very intensely.

"W-well…define okay?"

"Stop joking around with us and tell us what was wrong and why our son hasn't opened his eyes for the last few weeks." she said evenly, though her tone made no room for any 'beating around the bush'.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Namikaze…" she sighed in defeated sadness. "But…your son…is blind."

"W-what?" Kushina asked, crestfallen. She knew perfectly well what the word 'blind' meant, but she was currently trying to deny every inch of it. "No. No! I-it can't b-be t-true, can it?" she hesitated and stuttered nervously.

Dr. Shizune's red-rimmed eyes closed, trying very hard not to shed tears in front of them. She had spent the last half hour trying to pull herself together, and she would not allow herself to break down now. There was always later…no, that wouldn't be very characteristic for a doctor of her caliber, besides her old teacher would scold her harshly, so instead, she turned her head away from Kushina's and Minato's hopeful gazes, slowly nodded, and abruptly left the room.

Minato and Kushina both cradled their son in their arms and cried freely for how hard it will be for their son in the future. They knew that because of the turn of events, Naruto would never be able to experience the world and its beautiful colors and shapes firsthand. Minato thought because of it, Naruto would always be weak because of it. Kushina, reluctantly agreed with him. After all, how could one live without being able to see the world around him? They certainly didn't know how it felt, and suddenly shed tears of pity for their hopeless and disabled son.

Baby Naruto, through it all, had nothing to contribute to his crying parents, not even crying with them, so he just drifted off to sleep quietly in their arms.

… … …

Next chapter: Runaway


	2. Runaway

Let me be your eyes

-Chiba Hiro

**Summary**: **Naruto has been blind since birth, but that's the least of his worries. His parents think that because he is blind-for possibly forever-he'll be weak for the rest of his life and that he'll be under constant protection and surveillance. He yearns to be free from his eternal prison and overprotective and paranoid parents. One day though, he is pushed beyond the limits of what he could take, so he runs away, far away. But, who is this girl he meets along the way? Will she be the one with the key to his freedom? NarutoxHinata, SasukexSakura, NejixTenten pairing here. Please R&R.**

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Naruto, or any of its content. All of it belongs to the rightful creators! Enjoy!**

… … …

_Darkness…_

_ It's so dark…_

_ Why did the kami curse me to live in darkness for all eternity?_

_ How am I able to tell whether I'm awake or not?_

_ I might as well be dead then…_

_ I could care less about the world…_

_ …because all I know is darkness…_

_ …and I wish all of the sounds would disappear into darkness with the light._

_ This prison I am confined to…_

_ Those people whom I call parents…_

_ …are scared for me._

_ I understand why…_

_ …but that doesn't mean I like it._

_ I may be blind, but I still have feelings._

_ They just don't understand me at all…_

_ I yearn to be free from this isolation and confinement._

_ One day, I will escape from here..._

… … …

**Chapter 1:** Runaway

Eight-year old Naruto slept restlessly through the night. Although why he was thrashing about he didn't know because he couldn't see. All he saw was darkness, yet all he heard was this voice. The voice spoke to him and kept telling him it was hopeless, and he was hopeless.

Then, the alarm clock pierced through the darkness, interrupting the voices in his head. It was time to get ready for the day, even though he had never seen daylight and could care less about it. How could an eight-year old boy like him be so depressed, some people may ask? It is a mystery to everyone, including himself.

"Naruto-sama!" His maid, Sakura called to him from outside his door. "It's time for breakfast! Come and join your mother!"

He walked slowly to his drawer, where he knew it was and picked out a white T-shirt with a red spiral on it, and khaki jeans. He threw them on and walked downstairs to dine with his mother. His father was almost never there for breakfast when he woke up. That's because he had to drive to the company building across town.

His mother was getting ready to go to work at the daycare and prompted his bodyguard, Sasuke to take care of Naruto while his father continued as president and owner of the Namikaze Co. She didn't need to go to work because Minato was paid well, and because of it they were able to buy this new traditional Japanese house that Kushina wanted so badly to live in.

Kushina looked far older than she should have for a thirty-seven year old. There were worry lines on her face and her once vibrant hair was graying rapidly. She still looked beautiful, but that beauty only reached skin deep. She was a very hollow woman on the inside and gave up hope easily.

Simply put, the entire Namikaze family has been cursed to never be happy and it was all Naruto's fault, he thought. He never knew about happiness and frankly he never cared about it. That was probably because Kushina almost never let him outside the house, unless she or his maid and bodyguard accompanied him. His father didn't want to hear of it and acted as if his son didn't exist.

Kushina and Minato didn't need maids, or bodyguards for that matter. They only hired Sasuke and Sakura, who were in their late-teens, because they were excellent in what they do. Because of it, they could live with the Namikaze family and get compensated for serving the youngest of the family, Naruto.

Sasuke and Sakura both loved him like a little brother, or son, better than Minato and Kushina ever had. Sometimes they wondered if they even cared about him at all. Sure, they may be worried all the time, but they have gone from occasional worry to borderline paranoia.

They feared if Naruto didn't have someone there to protect him, he could get hurt badly, or worse. So, in essence, Sasuke and Sakura never let him out of their line of sight, not even for a moment.

Sasuke and Sakura were both orphans and had never knew their parents and so when the Namikazes adopted them, they got to live together. Over the years, they grew to love each other very deeply, and hit it off in secret because they didn't want anyone to know of their secret relationship.

Then, the doorbell rang.

"Oh! Naruto-sama, your tutor is here!" Sakura announced to him.

One more thing, Kushina and Minato hired a tutor to teach Naruto since they didn't want him going to school, even if it was a school for the disabled. Sending him there reminds them that their son is weak, so they did the next best thing, hire a special tutor for him. And it wasn't just any tutor, she was a blind tutor.

Her name was Kurenai, and she was in her early twenties, and she was blind as well, but she was knowledgeable in most areas where young Naruto was not yet fluent in them yet. She had just gotten around to teaching him how to read Braille and solve simple second grade math equations in Braille.

Naruto thought it was very difficult to memorize because you had to feel the bumps on the special paper she brought for him. They were short stories, and thankfully, he learned very fast.

Out of everyone he knew outside the house, he was very fond of Kurenai, and maybe even smiled and laughed once or twice when she joked around. She knew exactly what he was going through, and she vowed to help him through this. She learned that his parents didn't have very high hopes for him, and gave up too easily when it came to him, but she'd sooner put up a fight before she let him give up on himself. Just look at her now.

"Okay, Naruto-kun, let's start by reading the 'Three Blind Mice'." Kurenai said, putting her cane down and presenting the necessary book for him to read. "Now, read every word to me, and don't skip through it. If you're having trouble, just tell me."

"Okay…" Naruto sighed, and read word for word of the 'Three Blind Mice' to Kurenai.

"That was excellent!" Kurenai clapped, and smiled proudly after he was finished. "You did a great job! And for that, you deserve a treat!"

"I do? What kind of treat?" Naruto asked curiously.

"An ice cream treat!"

"What's ice cream?" Naruto asked innocently putting a finger to his lip in confusion.

"What?" Kurenai asked, dumbfounded. "What do you mean 'what's ice cream'?"

"Yeah, what is it? Is it good?"

"How can you not know what ice cream is? Kids your age should already know what ice cream is. And, yes it is good." Kurenai explained as if it made the most sense in the world.

"Well, my parents almost never take me out for anything, and even if they did, they would always say 'ice cream is full of sugar and sugar makes you do crazy things. And we don't want you to get hurt because of it.' So they don't allow me to have sweet things besides fruit and juice."

"Well I'll be…" Kurenai sighed, disappointed. "My parents were never that strict when it came to giving me sweets. They said 'go ahead, but just be careful.' They were vigilant, but were willing to give me the freedom I deserved. Still, I can't believe you've never had ice cream before."

"…"

"But, there's a first time for everything!" Kurenai clapped her hands together, and took Naruto's hands in hers, and led him to the door, but before she could get very far, Sasuke stood in front of the door, and blocked them from leaving.

"Hold on! Where are you taking Naruto-sama?" Sasuke interrogated, and tried to glare at her, but she didn't even flinch once he turned that cold, fierce glare on her. Duh! She's blind too, but she could still sense the tension in the air surrounding Sasuke.

"Pardon me, but I'm taking Naruto-kun out to ice cream. Is that okay with you, Sasuke-kun?" Kurenai explained, unimpressed.

Sasuke smirked.

"Heh, not without me you're not." Sasuke said, surprising both Kurenai and Sakura, who just happened to be passing by and waving at Sasuke.

"Huh?"

"Kushina-sama's orders are that Sakura or I have to protect him, no matter what. So, I'm going with you. Deal?"

"Okay then! Ice cream for you too?" Kurenai asked.

"No thanks, I don't really have a sweet tooth." Sasuke denied politely.

"It's your loss then!"

"Oh! Can I have one then?" Sakura asked.

"Sure, and you can come too, Sakura-chan!"

"Yay!"

… … …

_At the ice cream parlor-_

Naruto was busy devouring his delicious hot fudge sundae. Kurenai knew he'd like it. Sasuke settled for a coke from across the street, so he drank that. Sakura had the same as Kurenai, a mint ice cream scoop on a cone with sprinkles and melted chocolate swirl. She loved mint ice cream, that's something she and Kurenai both liked.

"How's the sundae, Naruto-kun?" Kurenai asked after she finished the last of her cone.

"It's awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, and whirled around to hug Kurenai gratefully. Kurenai brought her arms around Naruto too as they shared a bonding moment. "Thank you, Kurenai-san!"

"It's not a problem at all, Naruto-kun. I'd be happy to do this some other time with you."

"What should we do now?" Naruto asked.

"How about we go play in the park? You like that, don't you?" Kurenai suggested.

Naruto's happy grin faltered slightly.

"My parents…don't want me playing at a public park because they think some of the other kids might hurt me."

"Oh, parents being paranoid…" Kurenai snorted. "How can a kid like you know the joys of fun if you don't play around children your age?"

"Should I?"

"Of course, I'll even play with you!"

"Okay!"

When they got to the playground near the ice cream parlor, they settled for the slide. For the first time in his life, Naruto was having fun, and he loved that feeling the breeze gave him. He liked sweating out in the warm sun, and after he played on the sand box.

"Let's try the swings next, Naruto-kun!" Kurenai exclaimed.

"Okay!" Naruto beamed up at Kurenai. If they could both see themselves now, they would be having the time of their lives. Sakura and Sasuke both watched silently, but proudly, from the sidelines, watching their young master playing with Kurenai. Naruto hopped onto a swing, and Kurenai got behind him and started pushing him.

"Wheee! This is so cool!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You like it?"

"Yeah! Push harder!"

Kurenai obeyed and pushed a little harder, and Naruto swung faster, and higher in the air. This was it! This was the moment he was waiting for! He was free now! He could hear everything, and feel everything around him! He was free, and he had escaped from his prison, if only for a while. He wanted to savor this moment, and have a great time.

Not long after the swing started to settle down, and Naruto still sat on it, and Kurenai panted behind him.

"That was fun!" she said, and grinned tiredly at Naruto.

"Uh-huh." Naruto agreed with a satisfied smile. He realized that he had smiled and laughed more today than he did in a year. He was not certain what that feeling was, but he liked it more so than his depressed and lonely personality that he had been used to. He was wrong about Kurenai-san all along, she was the best thing that ever happened to him.

He wondered that if they both could see, then he wondered if their lives would have turned out differently than before. He wished desperately to see the world now more than ever. But, hearing and feeling it was just as good too, in his opinion.

Now, Kurenai had pinned him as a good child with wisdom beyond his eight years and had impressed her with how much he had gained from the world without seeing it. She and Naruto were a lot alike in the prospect that they're both blind and seeking to escape from eternal darkness. Only in their dreams were they allowed to see. And, in her mind's eye, she could 'see' Naruto, and she was certain Naruto could 'see' her.

The swing next to them started moving, and they knew they weren't alone anymore. A girl with short blue, lavender hair and pale purple-white eyes sat in the swing next to them. The girl had been observing them for a while now, and she found the spiky blonde-haired boy fascinating. It was like the boy hadn't had fun in years. She smiled at the thought. But, how to strike up a conversation with him?

She was a very shy person, and didn't talk a lot, but she wanted to get to know this boy that fascinated her so much. She wondered what it could be. For the last hour and a half, from what she could gather, the boy talked as if this was the first time he had fun. And, he hadn't even noticed her observing him from right next to him.

She had been there for a while, and she finally decided to speak up and ask him what his problem was. She felt like she was being ignored, and that annoyed her a little bit. At home, she was used to being the center of attention because she was the heiress to a huge company her father owned.

"Um, e-excuse me?" she started to say, and that caught both Kurenai and Naruto's attention.

"Yes? What is it?" Naruto asked, and turned to look at her, or where he thought she was.

"I-I'm Hyuga Hinata. What's y-your n-name?" she stuttered nervously.

"Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto." He stated. "It's nice to meet you." He said without smiling.

"I-I noticed t-that you w-were having f-fun. Y-you act a-as if y-you've never had f-fun before?"

Naruto's expression grew solemn, too solemn, even for a child.

"W-what's wrong? D-did I-I s-say something w-wrong?" she asked, hoping he doesn't get offended.

"No. It's just that because I'm blind, my parents don't allow me have as much fun as other kids." Naruto said sadly. "I'm not supposed to be out here, but my tutor, Kurenai-san, took me here. I guess because of her, I'm here."

"Y-you're b-b-blind?" she asked in disbelief. No wonder he couldn't look her in the eye. That bothered her a little, because even though they're roughly the same height, he seemed to be looking down most of the time, instead of at people. Even with adults he never looked up to talk to them, always looking straight ahead, or at the ground. She was young, yet old enough to know what the word 'blind' means. Something about that made her want to help him, and maybe even save him. But how would she do it? She's just a kid.

"Yeah." Naruto said, not even hesitating to answer. "I was born blind, and even though I'm blind, I'm not ashamed of it. In fact, most of the time, I don't even think twice about it. So, don't worry about me."

"D-do you w-want to b-be f-friends?" Hinata asked.

"Sure. But get rid of that stuttering problem of yours. Sorry, but it's getting a little annoying."

"Okay, I won't stutter!" Hinata exclaimed, or tried to sound louder and confident in herself even though her voice was soft. "Will you be my friend?"

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed gratefully. He always wanted a friend his own age, or so he assumed. "Hinata-chan, how old are you?"

"I'm eight."

"Ah, me too!"

"Ahh! Look at you two!" Kurenai said ironically when she returned to find the two youngsters striking a friendly conversation about random things. "Have you made a new friend, Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah, I sure did!"

"Good for you!"

For hours on end, the two kept talking about many things, mostly avoiding the touchy parts. Even though Naruto said it was okay for her to talk about his blindness, Hinata was still uncomfortable with it. It felt like overstepping boundaries. Finally, it was getting dark, and Sakura and Sasuke walked toward them and told them it was time for Naruto to go home.

Just as they announced that Naruto was to go home, Hinata's own bodyguards and maid came to take her home.

"Oh, how rude of me! Let me introduce my bodyguards and maid!" Hinata noticed she forgot to introduce her two bodyguards and maid.

One of the bodyguards had black hair in a bowl cut style, wearing an ugly green spandex, bandages on his arms, and orange leg warmers on his legs. He was tall and skinny, yet lean at the same time. What really caught everyone's attention, everyone except Naruto and Kurenai, was his extremely bushy black eyebrows and beady black eyes. All around, he looked like a Bruce Lee wannabe.

The other bodyguard had long brown hair and pale purple eyes, like Hinata's. He wore a hakama and kimono-style clothes. His expression was stern, and showed no emotion whatsoever. He looked like he could care less about protecting Hinata, but had no choice in the matter.

The maid had brown hair tied up in two Chinese-style buns on both sides of her head. She wore the stereotypical maid outfit, dress and all. One difference between Her and Sakura was that Sakura wore regular clothes, and did not stand out at all. Sasuke didn't need to wear anything other than a long-sleeved blue shirt and white shorts. He found bodyguard uniforms too stuffy.

"These are my bodyguards, Rock Lee and Hyuga Neji. Neji is my cousin, but he is our bodyguard and driver. This is my maid, Tenten!"

"How do you do?" they bowed to the rest of them.

"We are pleased to make your acquaintance." Sakura curtsied, and everyone followed. "I'll make the introductions. My name is Sakura, I am Naruto-sama's maid, and this is Sasuke-kun, Naruto-sama's bodyguard, and this is Yuhi Kurenai, Naruto-sama's blind tutor."

_Blind? _They all thought.

"Anyway, we better get going. Namikaze-sama would want his son home by now. And I have to go home now." Kurenai prompted.

"Okay, bye!" Naruto called out to Hinata.

"Can we stay in touch?" Hinata asked.

"Sure we can!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Will I see you anytime soon?" Hinata asked.

"I hope we do!"

"Bye, Naruto-kun!"

"Bye, Hinata-chan!"

… … …

At home-

"What were you doing out this late?" Kushina scolded Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke as they settled down on the couch. This time, Minato was with them. "We forbade you from going anywhere! Explain yourselves!"

"It wasn't their fault, mother." Naruto spoke before Sakura and Sasuke said anything. "I was the one that asked them to take me out." he wanted to take the blame for them. They were grateful for what he did, but somehow it didn't feel right that Naruto protect them from a well-deserved punishment.

"Naruto, you know that going out there is dangerous." Minato joined in, seriousness played out on his exhausted expression.

"I know, father." Naruto said quietly.

"But, sir I was with him." Sasuke said.

"You, Sasuke! Did I ask you speak?" Minato asked.

"No."

"Father, he and Sakura were with me." Naruto repeated Sasuke's testament.

Minato sighed bitterly.

"Even if Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan were with you, they could very well be hurt too. What if there were muggers, or murderers loose out in the streets. Sasuke-kun isn't old enough to drive a car yet, and I certainly won't allow him to start anytime soon. Sasuke-kun, you are still a teenager, and teenagers don't stand a chance out there in the real world. Even if you are a seven-dan in karate and kendo, you can't beat a gun, now can you?" Kushina lectured.

"I-I understand, Kushina-sama."

"Anyway, putting that aside…where did you all go?" Minato asked.

"Well, Kurenai-san took me to the ice cream parlor, and I had a big hot fudge sundae, and then we played at the park. There, I met Hinata-chan-"

"Woah, woah, there, son back it up! What did you say? Kurenai took you guys to an ice cream parlor and to the park?"

"Yes, father. And then I met Hinata-chan."

"Who is this Hinata character?"

"She's my new friend…or only friend."

Sigh.

"How many times did we warn you that you are never to have sweets? I shouldn't have trusted you to Kurenai, when I see her next time, I will fire her. And you can't associate with those other kids! They might hurt you!" Minato spoke with much venom in his tone.

"But Hinata-chan didn't do anything to me! And please don't fire Kurenai-san, father! She wasn't doing anything wrong! She was just trying to show me a good time! I was having fun, father! I was happy today!" Naruto argued with him.

"Fun? Happy? You think this is fun? You could've been hurt today! What if this Hinata-chan was just doing it to make fun of you? What if she hurts you? You can't trust anyone on the first day!"

"But I trust her, father! I know because she's a kind person. And she's very mature, even though we're both the same age!"

"What's her last name then?" Minato asked out of the blue.

"Hyuga."

Minato's eyes widened, then narrowed.

"Hyuga…" he spoke it menacingly. "…my rival company. That's it! You are never to associate with the Hyugas ever again! I forbid you to speak of this Hyuga Hinata ever again, and you will not leave this house! Ever! Do I make myself clear?"

"But, father-"

"No arguments! This is unacceptable, Naruto!" Minato raised his voice again. "Sasuke, Sakura, lock him in his room!"

Without hesitating, Sasuke and Sakura both grabbed Naruto by both his arms and dragged him to his room and locked him there. Naruto walked slowly to his bed and crashed on it, burying his face in the pillows. Tears leaked from his eyes-dampening the pillow-and he violently cried himself to sleep.

... … …

_Dreamscape-_

Naruto walks through a foggy, misty landscape. The thing is, he could see and he knew he was in a dream because he wasn't blind anymore. This was the place he could come to and be able to see the world around him. He could have crazy adventures in here, and he could be happy here; he once dreamed about ninjas and becoming one in a world full of amazing things.

Everyone he knew, except his parents, was in there, and he was slightly older too. Here, he could escape his worries, and his eternal darkness.

Then, a voice called out to him.

"_Naruto…"_

"Who's there?"

"_You know who I am."_

Naruto spun around just as the fog lifted, and he was standing on a bridge above the mystic waters below. The person who spoke to him looked like Hinata, but slightly older and more 'developed'. She wore a white cloak, and blue sandals.

"H-Hinata-chan? What are you doing here?"

_"I am here to help you."_

"Help me? How?"

_"You wish to escape from here? Your eternal prison?"_

"Yes."

_"Come to me, and I will help you."_

"But you're already here?"

_"I am here, but at the same time I am not. I am only in your dream."_

"How can you help me?"

_"You must escape."_

"How?"

_"Wake up, and a sign will guide you."_

"Wait, why do you want to help me? How can you help me? I'm blind."

_"You do not need to see, because you will only require sound."_

"Oh."

_"As to why…I have the key to your freedom. But you can only receive it if you come to me."_

"Okay…I accept."

_"Good. Now, awaken."_

_End of Dream-_

... … …

Naruto woke up to find that he was covered in sweat. He changed out of the clothes he had worn to bed, and into a warm jacket and pants. Dream Hinata told him that there would be a sign that would guide him. So, he went over to the window, and opened it. He stepped out into the balcony, and listened.

The freezing wind bore into him and he shivered, despite his winter clothes. He slipped on some gloves, boots, and a scarf.

Then, the sound came to him, like a soft whisper in the wind. The fresh snow blanketed the ground, and he leaped off the balcony, landing in a heap on the pile of snow. He knew that the snow would save him and that his fall would be cushioned and softened by the snow. If he had jumped out in any other circumstance, he would have died from that jump.

It was now or never. And, as he took the first step out into the world, he left at a running speed from his prison to follow the whispering wind to wherever it led him to. He would trust in his guide and just run.

"I'm free at last!"

… … …

Next Chapter: Let me be your eyes


	3. Let me be your eyes

**Let me be your eyes**

-Chiba Hiro

**Summary: Naruto has been blind since birth, but that's the least of his worries. His parents think that because he is blind-for possibly forever-he'll be weak for the rest of his life and that he'll be under constant protection and surveillance. He yearns to be free from his eternal prison and overprotective and paranoid parents. One day though, he is pushed beyond the limits of what he could take, so he runs away, far away. But, who is this girl he meets along the way? Will she be the one with the key to his freedom? NarutoxHinata, SakuraxSasuke, and NejixTenten pairings here. Please R&R.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its content. All of it belongs to the rightful creators!**

… … …

**Chapter 2**: Let me be your eyes

Morning-

As the cold, icy wind pierced through his core, Naruto began to slow down. He was so determined a while ago, but now he was hopelessly lost in a place he could only have seen in his dream. The sounds of the city had long gone, and he knew he was somewhere deserted. What had prompted him to run away again? Oh yeah, Hinata did.

Hinata. That name felt nice as soon as he said it. The way she talked, the way she touched him in ways he never thought a person could. She was the same age as him, yet she cared about him nonetheless.

Sure, he had met her yesterday, but that was about it. And, the strangest dream came to him. He had dreamt of Hinata, an older one. How he was able to tell, he could distinguish people by the feel of their auras. Hinata's felt light and innocent, yet strong and caring. The same person clothed in white from his dream could have been Hinata, and nothing could escape his heightened senses.

The chill set in and he sunk to his knees. What had he been thinking? The dream Hinata could only have been a figment of his imagination yet he was filled with so much hope that he ran without stopping in a direction he felt he had to go. He knew by now how to distinguish between reality and illusion. His dream had to have been just an illusion created by his longing.

He knew he could only dream, but to actually follow a message sent by something from his dream was plain stupid. He could freeze to death and no one would be able to find him.

Exhaustion set in, and he fell forward and slipped unconscious.

Minutes later, a small pair of feet came to a stop just in front of Naruto's unconscious form. The lavender haired girl knelt down and touched his face and felt warmth.

"Neji-niisan!" she called out to her bodyguard. "It's Naruto-kun!"

"Hinata-sama! We have to go! It's freezing right now!" Neji protested.

"But he needs help!"

"…Fine." Neji grumbled and hoisted Naruto up onto his back. "I sure hope you know what you're doing."

Neji placed Naruto in the back seat of his car and Hinata slid in next to him. His body was freezing, and Hinata did the only thing she could do to keep him warm. She pulled him into a tight embrace and held him there. It was then that he eventually started to get warmer.

Hinata had never thought of touching another person her age let alone a boy. But this boy needed her help, and if her dream last night was anything to go by…this blind boy came to her and she'll help him to the best of her ability.

_Flashback to her dream the night before- _

_ Hinata wandered around in the endless darkness, searching frantically for a way out when she heard sniffling. Hinata moved toward the sound and looked upon a boy with blonde hair and dull, hazy blue eyes crying in his hands. The way he was huddled in a small corner made Hinata's heart clench._

_ She was a sympathetic person naturally, and she couldn't help but want to reach out to help this young boy that intrigued her in the park that day. She reached a hand out to try to touch him, but an invisible barrier prevented her from touching him or moving closer._

"_It's so dark…" a voice echoed around her, silencing Naruto's sniffling._

"_Darkness…that's all I know." It continued._

_ "…This world and its people…don't understand me at all." It took a while to distinguish that it was Naruto's voice, though it sounded emotionless and full of despair._

_ "Why was I cursed like this?_

"…_My parents especially…they're scared for me…_

_ "I understand why…_

_ "…but that doesn't mean I like it._

_ "I wish to see…_

_ "…I wish to be free…_

_ "Free from this prison of darkness._

_ "But how…_

_ "…will I escape?_

_ "No one will help me…_

_ "So, how?"_

_ The voice stopped, and it pretty much repeated the last thing. Hinata had never before heard such a despair-filled voice in her life. And the voice was coming from a boy her age. She felt truly sorry for the boy, and the sounds of hopeless crying came back to her ears and she immediately became aware of Naruto still huddled in the corner._

_ She reached out again, and passed through the barrier. She reached him and pulled a surprise-filled Naruto into her arms._

_ "I'll help you." She said._

_ Sniffle._

_ "Let me be your eyes…"_

_ End of dream-_

Hinata just about experienced that same dream again, and became aware that the car had stopped and they were at the driveway to their house. The house looked a lot like Naruto's house, but was wider and more elegant-looking.

"Hinata-sama, we have arrived at home." Neji announced and opened the door for her to come out. He proceeded to carry Naruto into the house.

Hinata's father, Hiashi stopped them before they could go any further.

"What is the meaning of this? Why were the two of you out so early in the morning?" Hiashi-sama asked.

"Forgive me, Hiashi-sama." Neji bowed. "Hinata-sama wanted to save this boy so we drove him out of the freezing snow."

"Well…bring him upstairs." Hiashi permitted them to go.

Neji placed Naruto down on a futon in the guest bedroom upstairs. Neji took off his jacket, gloves, shoes, socks, and scarf then knelt down to feel his forehead and discovered he was a little feverish. Neji got up and promptly left the room. A few minutes later, he came back with a washcloth and a small tub of cool water.

Neji squeezed the excess water from the washcloth and placed it flat on Naruto's forehead.

"I must attend to other chores, Hinata-sama." Neji told her.

"That's alright, Neji-niisan." Hinata went over to sit next to Naruto, and watched him sleep. "I'll watch him."

"Are you sure?" Neji asked. "I could send for Tenten to look after him?"

"No, I want to take care of him." Hinata smiled, and replaced the cloth by dipping it in the washtub and squeezing the excess out. "He's my friend." She added and blushed.

"Oh? You like him, don't you?" Neji said in a teasing tone of voice.

"W-What? I d-don't know w-what you m-mean!"

"Oh, well…"

… … …

It wasn't until a week later until Naruto actually woke up refreshed. He could tell he was awake because he could feel the sunlight hitting his eyes. He quickly shut them and turned his head to the side. He felt someone breathing right next to him, and thought about where he was.

The last thing he remembered was collapsing in the snow, and nothing after that. This certainly wasn't a hospital though he'd been to enough of those. That and he was sleeping on a futon mattress.

"Oh! Naruto-kun, you're awake!" that was strange. For a second there he thought he heard Hinata-chan speaking.

"W-where am I?" he asked groggily and sat up.

"Y-you're in my house." Hinata's voice said.

"H-Hinata? This is your house?" Naruto asked.

"Of course it is." Hinata said. "Did you expect it to be someone else's?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this, and Hinata immediately apologized seeing that Naruto was blind and could not tell the difference anyway.

"It's okay. I understand." Naruto said.

"Oh, would you like some breakfast? I'm sure that you'd be hungry by now…seeing that you've been unconscious for a week."

"A week? That long?"

"Yes." Hinata confirmed. "Would you like to freshen up? I'm sure a good bath would do you some good, and a change of clothes."

"Oh! I didn't bring any spare clothes." Naruto said, but felt what he was wearing. He was wearing a boy's pajamas, but it wasn't his because it felt…odd and didn't carry his scent.

"That's okay! Neji-niisan was kind enough to lend you his old boy clothes. They fit you just right!"

… … …

So, after his shower and putting on Neji-san's old hand-me-down shirt and jeans he felt his surroundings and walked down the hall to where he thought the dining room was. The floor was wooden like his and the walls felt the same. He almost thought it was his home, but thought again because Hinata-chan was here. He turned a corner and bumped into someone. By the feel of it, he bumped into a tall, lean person.

"Oh, Naruto-kun!" the voice exclaimed. "Good morning! I am very sorry!"

"Huh? No, I'm sorry. I…well, I guess I can't apologize for being blind, now can I?" he joked.

"I should have been more careful!"

"Oh, you're Lee-san, right?" Naruto recognized his formal tone and burning aura of passion…or something like that.

"Naruto-kun, how did you know that?"

"I could tell by your voice and aura." Naruto explained. "You see, I recognize people by their voices, auras, and even footsteps."

"That is amazing!" Lee shouted. "You must teach me how to do that! Lest I go blind myself! You see, I am training to be the best bodyguard Hinata-sama deserves! And, between you and me, I am trying to prove myself against Neji-kun, my all time rival!"

"Sure, I could teach you." Naruto said. "But, I was wondering where the dining room was."

"You are heading in the right direction! You see I just finished breakfast myself and I was about to go head into the training room when I bump into you instead. Forgive me, but I tend not to look down most of the time! Eh, take no offense, I was just-"

"It's okay. I'm not offended."

"Okay then!"

"I'll just go then. Carry on, Lee-san!" Naruto exclaimed and walked around Lee and entered the dining room.

"Good morning!" a cheerful, feminine voice called out.

Now that could only be one of two things, Naruto thought. Naruto knew that Hinata didn't have a mother, and the only female person living in the same house as her was her maid and grandma and aunt. Hinata-chan said her aunt was about fifty years old, so it can't be her. She didn't sound like a grandmother at all, so she must be…

"Ah! Tenten-san, right?"

"You are correct, Naruto-kun!" Tenten exclaimed.

"You didn't talk much after our brief meeting yesterday, but I know you for a fact that your aura's still the same." Naruto noted.

"Why, thank you!" she smiled. "What would you like for breakfast? Western or Japanese?"

"Japanese."

"Okay then! Make yourself comfortable, Naruto-kun!"

When Naruto was walking around the dining room and then wandered back to the front of the entryway, Tenten turned to look at him strangely.

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"

"I can't find the table." He said.

"Oh." Tenten sweat dropped and palmed herself in the forehead. Stupid! Naruto-kun is blind!

Suddenly, Hinata approached from behind Naruto and took him to his seat before Tenten did.

"Oh, thank you, Hinata-sama!"

"No problem, Tenten-neesan!"

While Hinata and Naruto were seated, they were making idle conversation.

"So, Hinata. What's your family like? I told you about mine last week, so could you tell me about yours?"

"Well, you know about otou-san, and that my okaa-san is no longer living with us? Well, my obaa-san (grandma) and ojii-san lives with us. My oba-san (aunt) and Neji-niisan lives here as well. And, I have a three-year old sister named Hanabi-chan.

"Otou-san may come across as a bit of a meanie, but he's very nice once you get to know him. I don't know much about my okaa-san. Obaa-san and Ojii-san are experts in storytelling, and are very interesting to listen to. Oba-san is Neji-niisan's mother and she goes to work with otou-san at the company. And, Hanabi-chan is just my adorable little sister."

"That's cool. I wish I had a big family like yours. But, I only had my parents and Sasuke-niisan and Sakura-neechan."

"Okay, you two! It's breakfast time!" Tenten announced, interrupting their talk about family and setting down warm bowls of rice and fish and miso soup on the side.

"Well, dig in!"

Hinata started eating, but noticed immediately that Naruto had yet to grab fish and his chopsticks.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked, suddenly feeling bad that he wasn't eating. "Are you not going to eat?"

Naruto's hands wandered the table, trying to feel for where the bowl was. It was just a little bit out of his reach so Hinata got up and pushed the bowl of fish into his hand, and he picked it out with his chopsticks and placed it on his bowl of rice.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan

"You're welcome."

… … …

_That evening-_

The Hyuga family had gathered in front of Naruto at Hinata's beckoning. Hiashi and Neji both knew what was about to happen, but the rest of them had no clue what Hinata was about to say and why there was a blonde haired boy in their midst. Throughout the whole week, Neji and Hinata tended to Naruto, so they ultimately kept him a secret to the rest of their family, except Hiashi since he knew everything, being patriarch and all.

"Hinata-chan, who is this boy?" an elderly woman asked, looking Naruto in the eye. Her grandmother's eyes were the lightest and coldest among the Hyuga's. She tended not to trust strangers too often, but here Hinata brought a boy with her. Grandma Hyuga tried to get a response of some kind out of the boy, but said boy only looked straight ahead blankly.

"Boy, please look your elders in the eye." Hiashi ordered, but Hinata vouched for him.

"Father, he cannot 'look' into anyone's eyes because he is blind. Sorry, Naruto-kun!" Hinata answered instead, saving Naruto some explanation.

"Blind?" everyone gasped, including little Hanabi who just happened to follow what everyone did at the time.

"Why would you waste your time with some blind boy you've never even met before?" Hiashi asked. "I know you took him in because he was freezing to death out in the snow, but still…"

"You brought a boy in from the snowfall last week?" Auntie Hyuga asked.

"Yes, oba-san." Hinata answered.

"Where did you meet him and when did you meet him?" Hiashi asked.

"At the park in central Tokyo." Hinata answered again curtly.

"What? Central Tokyo is Namikaze territory! You met this boy in _that _area" Hiashi asked, enraged. "We do not associate with people in that area! What were you doing there?"

"I wanted to play at the park, and I met Naruto-kun."

"What is your last name, boy?" Hiashi interrogated.

Naruto flinched slightly at the icy tone, but before he could answer, Hinata once again answered.

"His last name is Uzumaki. Uzumaki Naruto."

"Can you not speak, Uzumaki-kun?" Hiashi asked.

"I can." Naruto answered in a quiet voice.

"Where is your family? I am sure by now they are worried." Hiashi continued.

Naruto's expression grew solemn and he looked away for a bit, and answered quietly.

"They…abandoned me." He said.

At this, murmurs filled the Hyuga family as they discussed what to do with the boy.

"Silence!" Hiashi called. "Even if they have abandoned you, son, we cannot take you in."

"Father!" Hinata argued. "Why can't he stay? His family abandoned him…and we're just going to sit idly while he dies somewhere out there? Aren't you the least bit sorry for him?"

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto tugged at her sleeve to reassure her that he'll be fine, but Hinata would not give up so easily.

"If I were to let him live here, then who would look after him?" Hiashi asked. "I cannot, seeing as how I am busy. Hinako here, and mother and father are too old to look after another child. Neji, Lee, and Tenten are yours and Hanabi's servants. Who would care for him in our stead?"

"I will, father." Hinata's eyes became steely with determination. Naruto tugged harder at her sleeve to get their attention.

"It's okay…Hinata-chan. I'm just glad that…you care enough for me to let me stay here. If my staying here will be a hindrance to you…then I'll leave. I don't want you to be burdened with me." Naruto said, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

Nearly all the Hyugas had a soft spot for children in need, and even more for those with pleading eyes. Naruto may be sending one message to them saying he did not have to stay to their inconvenience, but on the other hand, his eyes spoke something else.

"Ahem! Well then, Hinata…you will take care of him." Hiashi announced, surprising Naruto.

"Really?" Hinata asked hopefully, and Hiashi nodded. "Yay! Naruto-kun, did you hear that? I'm going to take care of you! You're going to live here from now on!"

At that the corners of Naruto's mouth twitched up into a small smile, letting them know that he was grateful. "Thank you, Hinata-chan, everyone."

"It is no problem, child. You are welcome anytime in the Hyuga family. Don't you worry!" Grandma Hyuga exclaimed warmly. Her demeanor earlier dissipated and quickly filled with warmth, and Naruto felt it.

"Thank you."

… … …

Later, in Hinata's room-

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto voiced.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, and got up from her side of the room and sat down next to Naruto.

"What's the real reason you stood up for me? And why did you say my last name was 'Uzumaki'?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I did it because…well I had a dream about you. And I said your last name was 'Uzumaki' because father would never let a Namikaze stay with them, so I lied and said your middle name was your last name. It still counts, right?"

"Really? I had a dream about you too, but I knew it was you because of your aura."

"What aura? And how could you have known it was me?"

"Well, to be honest, I can sense people's auras and I could distinguish you because of your aura and tone of voice. If I need to listen carefully to the sound of their footsteps, or the atmosphere around them, I can 'see' them clearly."

"What do you mean 'see'? I thought you were blind. Sorry."

"It's okay. Well, I 'see' things by listening and feeling the aura and atmosphere around me. It's like I can 'see' you by just listening and feeling your aura. That, and I can put together what you would look like by sound, touch, and smell."

"You 'saw' me by smelling my scent? What is my scent?"

"Hmm…it smells like cherry blossom and lavender combined."

"Wow, that's a very sharp nose you got there!"

"Yeah, it's both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes I can smell, hear, and feel things that…ugh, I don't even want to think of."

"If only I can imagine what it would be like to do that." Hinata wondered out loud.

"Why don't you try blindfolding yourself and see how you fare out there?" Naruto teased, and Hinata laughed. Truly, Hinata's laugh was exhilarating and very pleasant to hear.

"Your laugh is very cute. I like that." Naruto said, and Hinata blushed. Hinata was almost thankful Naruto couldn't see her face imitate a tomato, then she would've died from embarrassment.

"Hinata-chan, are you okay? The air around you suddenly got warm and…strangely flushed." Naruto observed, his heightened senses kicking in.

Hinata's face turned an even deeper shade of red, and it only made Naruto worry even more.

"Are you feverish or something, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked curiously, and felt her forehead, which surprisingly felt hot. "Wow, you are hot! I hope you didn't get it from me!"

"No, not at all, Naruto-kun! I feel fine!" Hinata waved her arms frantically and removed Naruto's hand from her forehead. "I just need water!"

"Oh, then I'll go get it!" Naruto volunteered and was about to exit the room when Hinata grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"That's not necessary! Neji-niisan can get it for me!" Hinata said quickly.

"Okay?" Naruto's eyebrow raised as Hinata called for Neji-san to fetch a bottle of water. "Anyway, are you really content to taking care of me? Because the way you make me out to be sounds like you think I'm weak too."

"No! I mean, Naruto-kun, you are not weak!" Hinata protested. "I could never think that of you!"

"It happens all the time though." Naruto said, barely audible but Hinata could still hear it. "When people get a look at me and hear that I'm blind, they automatically think I'm weak and useless. I hope you don't feel obligated to take care of me because I'm weak and useless."

"No, I'm not, Naruto-kun. I don't think you're weak or useless." Hinata tried to comfort him, but Naruto's eyes filled with tears.

"It's true though…" Naruto's voice nearly broke, trying to stifle the tears. "You think that just because I'm blind, you feel obligated to take care of me. Why else would you do it?"

"It's…not true."

"Don't lie to me!" Naruto's voice finally broke and he was nearly sobbing. "I can sense when you're lying. You hesitated!"

Hinata pulled Naruto into a strong embrace and let him cry on her shoulder. It tore at her heart to see Naruto so sad and hopelessly lost. He still had not fully trusted her even though he said that already. Her past actions were questionable, and she was all too quick to take a complete stranger into her home when she only talked to him for a few hours. She may have met him for a small amount of time, but she felt like she knew him a lot longer than that, and quite frankly, she wished she really knew him. Sadly, she's not Kurenai, from what Naruto told him, Kurenai was the only one that took him out of his shell. But, she could try, right?

"Naruto-kun…I may have felt…obligated to take care of you-"

"I knew it! Why did I even bother letting you? I should've died out there in the blizzard! The world…doesn't need me. It doesn't want me." Naruto said, and pulled away from her embrace, tears still falling from his eyes.

"…But I don't right now."

"W-what?"

"I don't feel obligated now, because…you're my friend." Hinata said with a smile on her face, but inside she almost wished Naruto could see her sincere smile, yet she also knew he could sense her aura going up into sincerity.

"F-friend?"

"Yeah…we're friends now." Hinata continued. "And friends help each other."

Naruto couldn't believe his ears that someone actually cared for him because she was his friend.

He smiled, but a few tears cracked through, making it quite difficult. He sobbed again and Hinata pulled him back in for another round.

"I also want you to know that I'll always be there for you." Hinata said softly into his ear.

"Uh-huh." Naruto muttered inaudibly.

_"And, let me be your eyes."_

… … …

Next chapter: Disability Class


	4. Disability Class

**Let me be your eyes**

-Chiba Hiro

**Summary**: **Naruto has been blind since birth, but that's the least of his worries. His parents think that because he is blind-for possibly forever-he'll be weak for the rest of his life and that he'll be under constant protection and surveillance. He yearns to be free from his eternal prison and overprotective and paranoid parents. One day though, he is pushed beyond the limits of what he could take, so he runs away, far away. But, who is this girl he meets along the way? Will she be the one with the key to his freedom? NarutoxHinata, SakuraxSasuke, and NejixTenten pairings here. Please R&R.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its content. All of it belongs to the rightful creators!**

… … …

**Chapter 3: **Disability Class

_Namikaze house-_

Sasuke and Sakura have had a hectic week at the Namikaze house. They have been working almost nonstop. Ever since Naruto disappeared a week ago, Kushina had been running them into the ground by searching town. She woke them up very early in the morning and told them to search for Naruto, and she'd tell them not to return until either they found him or it was too late at night.

If the bags seen under their eyes were evident enough, they too had been distressed at Naruto's sudden disappearance. What could have caused Naruto to run away like that? They supposed it was about to happen sometime soon anyways, but they decided not to voice their opinion to the master of the house. Minato was by no means a cruel master, but he did deliver the necessary punishments when something went wrong in the Namikaze household.

Minato, meanwhile ordered his company to search for his son as well, but to no extent did they find him. Minato and Kushina refused to believe their son ran away. How could he? He isn't smart enough to just run away, right? They did what was necessary, right? They had reason to believe that Naruto was kidnapped, but people were starting to believe that he was indeed missing and gone for good.

As for Kurenai, she was fired as Naruto's tutor, and had gotten a new job as a disability class teacher at some school. But that did not make her worry less about Naruto and his safety. He was, after all blind and he probably wouldn't survive out there on his own, people would say. But Kurenai believed in him and that he would be able to help himself somehow.

_Flashback-_

_ Sakura knocked on Naruto's door to wake him up for breakfast, but when he didn't respond, she pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. _

_When she opened the door, she went over to the bed and found it stuffed with a small bundle. Naruto wasn't there. Sakura shivered and looked over to the window, and found it was opened wide. _

_She nearly panicked and ran outside to see if her young master was out there somewhere, but he wasn't. She called for Sasuke and the two searched the courtyard for him, but he was nowhere to be found. It was like all traces of Naruto's whereabouts disappeared. They reported to Kushina after they searched._

"_Kushina-sama, Naruto-sama is missing." Sakura reported._

"_What?" Kushina all but jumped out of her chair and spilled her coffee. "Are you sure?"_

"_We are sure, Kushina-sama." Sasuke said. "His bed was empty and was stuffed with a bundle of clothing and the door to his balcony was ajar, and he was nowhere to be found outside."_

"_This is…how could something like this happen?" Kushina was more than a little upset at this, she was distraught._

"_Perhaps it was because you treated him unfairly last night?" Sasuke suggested indifferently. As soon as he said that, Kushina slapped him hard across the face, though he didn't make a sound._

"_Sasuke!" Sakura was on him in a second, cradling his cheek worriedly. _

"_You dare make this our fault?" Kushina asked menacingly. "Know your place, Sasuke." _

_ "Yes, ma'am." Sasuke said, and bowed to her. "I was out of line and shouldn't have said anything. Please forgive my insolence."_

_ "You're damn right it's your insolence." Kushina said coldly. "I want you two to search town for him! Leave no stone unturned, and bring him back to me or die trying!"_

_ "Yes, ma'am." Sasuke and Sakura bowed to her, and left to go find Naruto._

** -**_End of Flashback_

Meanwhile, back to the Hyuga residence-

At the dining table, Hiashi sat at the front of the table while his sister sat to his right. Hiashi's mother and father sat opposite of each other on either side of the table, while Hinata and Naruto sat at the very end. Lee, Tenten, and Neji just stood behind Hinata, waiting for further orders.

"Ahem! It has been a very eventful week, hasn't it?" Hiashi spoke casually, silencing their talking. "I know we don't get to eat together as a whole family in the morning like we should, but I just want to make our new houseguest as comfortable as possible."

"Uh, thank you, Hyuuga-sama." Naruto thanked formally, but Hiashi held his hand up to interrupt him.

"There is no need to use formalities on us. You are our guest, after all." Hiashi reassured him. "Anyway, I have some news I want to voice to you all. Starting today, Naruto-kun here is going to be living here for a while, at least until he can take care of himself." Seeing the confusion in Naruto's eyes, Hiashi continued.

"I have signed all the adoption papers for Naruto, and he is to be taken into our custody until further notice. So, Naruto-kun, how would you feel about becoming a Hyuuga? You can still keep your original last name, if you so choose. Or, you can switch from Uzumaki Naruto to Hyuuga Naruto."

"Hmm…Hyuuga Naruto sounds cool." Naruto said, after thinking about it for a while. "…But I don't think changing my last name will do any good. I don't think I'm worthy enough to become a Hyuuga, so I think I'll stick with Uzumaki for now."

"Very well." Hiashi agreed to his opinion. "There is still more. Now Hinata-chan, I have spoken to your school and have arranged Naruto-kun to attend as well." Hinata and Naruto were surprised, but before either of them could speak, Hiashi went on. "I am well aware that Naruto-kun is blind, but I know for sure that your school has a 'disability class.' So, after speaking with the headmaster about it, Naruto-kun is officially enrolled there today." Hiashi concluded and handed Naruto a bag of school books and supplies.

"Hyuuga-san, what is a disability class?" Naruto asked.

"It is a class with kids that have similar problems like you. I think there are a few blind students as well, and who knows, you might make more friends with them."

"There are people like me?"

"Of course there is. But there is more and you'll just have to cope with the rest."

"So, if I go to this class, I'm to be separated from Hinata-chan?"

"I know your relationship with Hinata-chan is very strong and as such you wouldn't want to be separated from each other, but decisions have to be made. Besides, you two will be seeing each other in passing time and going home together, so it's not like you'll never see each other again."

"I see."

"Well, have a good day at school, Naruto-kun, Hinata-chan." Hiashi excused himself for work while Neji took Hinata and Naruto with him to drop them off at school.

… … …

_At the school- _

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"What's school like?" Naruto asked.

"Well, school is a place for learning new things and meeting new people and making friends." Hinata explained.

"Oh, like how I was with Kurenai-san? She taught me new things everyday and because of her I met you."

Hinata blushed when he said that, but thankfully, Naruto didn't notice the rise in temperature.

"Um, Naruto-kun? You know we're going to be in separate classes, don't you?"

"Yeah." Naruto sighed, a little disappointed.

"Well, I just want you to be careful when I'm not around. I don't want to see you get hurt." Hinata said, worry evident in her soft voice.

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan! I'll be fine!"

"Well, just to let you know...there are mean kids there. And, I want you to stay away from them." Hinata said seriously.

"Okay!" Naruto agreed immediately.

… … …

Naruto stood outside his classroom, getting ready to be called in. Then, suddenly the teacher opened the door and called him in to introduce himself to the class.

"Okay, class! Today, a new student is going to be joining us! Please beware that he is blind." The teacher said, indicating to Naruto to start.

"Um, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, and it is a pleasure to meet you all." Naruto bowed respectfully. After a few cheers, Naruto found his way to his seat and sat in it.

Class droned on and Naruto found himself interested in it immediately. Before long, he was the one giving answers and teaching the class. Since he had previous experience in these subjects, he could teach his peers a lot better than his teacher could, seeing as how the gap in their ages made them uncomfortable.

He may have been eager to give her the best answers, but during break, he found he did not make a single friend at all. It was possible that no one even talked to him, not even the other blind students. Maybe he could wait till lunchtime and get together with Hinata then.

Lunch came faster than he expected, and he got his lunch out. He started eating when he noticed someone approaching him. This person didn't turn away or go past him, but instead said person touched his arm and he turned to face the student, or tried to.

"Yes?"

"Hey! You're the new kid, ain't ya?" the voice of the student said gruffly. By the sound of it, Naruto guessed it was a boy. The boy had spiky brown hair, (equivalent to Naruto's blonde hair) black slits for eyes, and long, sharp canines, which made him intimidating, but Naruto couldn't see any of it. Strangely, the boy smelled like a dog, but Naruto didn't want to offend him.

"I am. Who are you?"

"Word on the street is you're blind. Is that true?"

"Does it matter if it's true or not?" Naruto asked indifferently while glaring icily at Kiba, which Kiba didn't take notice of, so he continued. "And since when have you heard of me? I haven't been in this school for more than five hours and already rumors about me are spreading."

"No, I guess it doesn't matter. But, I know about you from a friend of mine."

"I asked you who you are, but if you're not going to tell me who you are, then don't bother talking to me."

"Heh, well the, name's Inuzuka Kiba!"

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I had heard from Hinata-chan that you're her other friend." Naruto was surprised, but he quickly got over it and talked casually to Kiba.

"Hinata-chan? Do you know her?"

"Yes, she's my best friend and housemate."

"You live with the Hyuugas? That's cool!" Kiba said, bewilderment evident in his animal-like eyes.

"How's that cool?"

"Dude, the Hyuugas are super rich and if you befriend one, you get to share their money. They're pretty generous with it too."

"Are you Hinata-chan's friend only for her money? I, myself don't care for money."

"Not only that, but she is pretty cute. Don't tell her I said that! So, you wanna be friends?"

"Yes, but only if you be nice to Hinata-chan."

"I will!"

"Oh, Kiba-kun!" Hinata called out as she joined Naruto with another boy next to her.

"Hey, Hinata-chan! How's your winter break?" Kiba waved at her in passing.

"Great! How about yours, Kiba-kun?"

"Great! I just taught Akamaru a new trick!"

"Who's Akamaru?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, he's only the greatest dog in the world! He's not only my pet, but he's also my best friend. Too bad this stupid school doesn't allow pets! What's wrong with Akamaru? He's pretty nice if I tell him to!" Kiba ranted.

"Anyway, I assume you know Kiba-kun now, Naruto-kun?" Hinata interrupted Kiba's rant to ask Naruto.

"Oh yeah, we just became friends!" Kiba exclaimed, ending his rant about why dogs should be allowed in school.

"Great! Oh, I want to introduce another friend of mine! Haku-kun, it's okay!" Hinata introduced the other boy, who was strangely hiding behind Hinata, despite him being the tallest, to Naruto. Haku had long black hair and a nice round face, complete with big doe-brown eyes. Overall, he looked like a girl, but if he didn't have the boy's uniform on, which consisted of a collared white shirt with a blue blazer and blue slacks, he would be mistaken for one. If Naruto couldn't see, he couldn't comment, right?

"I'm Yuki Haku! Nice to meet you, Naruto-san!" Haku introduced himself, which Naruto introduced as well.

"Hinata-chan, you have nice friends!" Naruto commented sadly after a while.

"What are you talking about, Naruto-kun? They're your friends too!" Hinata insisted.

"Really?"

"Of course we are! If you want friends, we'll gladly be your friends too!" Kiba exclaimed with a thumbs up.

"If you need anything, then Kiba-kun and I will help you as well. Don't worry, Hinata-chan told me everything! So no need to worry!" Haku added.

"Worry about what, Haku-kun?" Kiba asked.

"I'll tell you later, Kiba-kun." Haku whispered to him.

"Well, classes are going to start soon, so I'll see you after school, Naruto-kun!" Hinata bid Naruto ado and went back to her class with Kiba and Haku.

"They're pretty nice, those two." Naruto said to himself as the class filed in for their afternoon courses.

… … …

Next chapter: Finding Naruto!


	5. Finding Naruto

**Let me be your eyes**

-Chiba Hiro

**Summary: Naruto has been blind since birth, but that's the least of his worries. His parents think that because he is blind-for possibly forever-he'll be weak for the rest of his life and that he'll be under constant protection and surveillance. He yearns to be free from his eternal prison and overprotective and paranoid parents. One day though, he is pushed beyond the limits of what he could take, so he runs away, far away. But, who is this girl he meets along the way? Will she be the one with the key to his freedom? NarutoxHinata, SakuraxSasuke, and NejixTenten pairings here. Please R&R.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its content. All of it belongs to the rightful creators!**

… … …

**Chapter 4: **Finding Naruto!

Several weeks later-

Naruto had been adjusting to life at school and at home with the Hyuugas. He truly learned to become apart of them. Soon enough though, he was allowed to participate in Hyuuga tradition despite his 'upbringing'. His blindness didn't hold him back though. He made many new friends over the short time.

Just a few days ago he met another blind boy with red hair, pale skin, and green eyes with dark shadows around his eyes. If you looked close enough, you would see a very light, eerie green that constantly scared the other kids, even other adults. Naruto discovered him being picked on by some of the other kids. He walked confidently up to them and told them off.

From then on, he and the red-haired boy, named Sabaku no Gaara, became the closest of friends. He discovered that until recently, his parents had cursed him and his blindness like him. And they shut him off from the world as well. But unlike Naruto, Gaara had his older siblings, Temari and Kankuro, back him up. In the end, the parents consented to allowing him to attend school with his peers.

Also, the Hana festival, that was planned and coordinated by the Hyuugas, was coming up in a few days and Naruto was excited to go with Hinata and vice-versa. Hinata, as the heiress, wanted to bring Naruto as her unofficial 'date'. People might be thinking that eight-year-olds are too young to be seeing and dating boys, but they don't know how wrong and outdated they are.

Girls as young as Hinata are already starting to notice boys their age, so why should Hinata have to be different? Naruto was entirely oblivious to her shortcomings and her constant need to protect him. Naruto liked that she wanted to protect him and keep him comfortable, but at the same time, Naruto felt like he didn't contribute enough to their friendship.

Naruto grew up with the saying: "Men always protect the women from the predators." But in his condition, Naruto admitted that he couldn't do that due to his blindness. By nature, Hinata was a gentle person, but when with someone she befriends, she automatically becomes protective of them. Just like with her friends Haku and Kiba, she learned that they weren't the only ones in need of protection.

Anyway, today Naruto and Hinata were walking home from school with their friends Haku, Kiba, Gaara, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Shino. How ever did Naruto make friends with them, it just so happens that it was completely on accident and that Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji felt sorry for him and Gaara, so they chose to be their friends. Shino, on the other hand, became their friend because he was genuinely concerned of his peers.

"Man, I can't wait for the Hana festival! This year it's gonna be so awesome!" Kiba pronounced and his dog, Akamaru, agreed. This time around Kiba brought his dog to school. Kiba came from a family of dog trainers, so as such, he learned how to connect to his dog and control him. Akamaru was so small and adorable-looking that the teachers thought he was a stuffed animal he brought from home. 'Aww.'

"I know! It would be wonderful!" Haku expressed his excitement.

"I wonder if there'll be any cute boys there." Ino mused out loud, causing Hinata, the only other girl, to blush furiously.

"Why would you say that out loud? We're not old enough to date yet, right?" Chouji asked.

"No, but I could still dream can't I?" Ino snapped at him, causing Chouji to clamp his ears and pause in stuffing his face with his favorite barbecue chips. "Oh! One more thing. Stop eating so damn much! You could get fat while eating too much!"

"Let me tell ya something, Ino-chan." Chouji said seriously, crunching the last of his chips and throwing it into a garbage can six feet away. "Boo ya! I made it! Anyway, if you don't eat regularly, you could starve!"

"Only you would think you'd starve to death without eating chips and cookies ever five minutes!" Ino exclaimed irritably.

"Hey, it's my lifestyle choice. So shut up, put up, and let me eat." Chouji said straight, and opened up his tenth bag of chips that hour and let out a loud burp with irked a few laughs from his other companions.

"Ughh! That's so disgusting!"

"You could try it once in a while!" Chouji said, popping another chip into his mouth.

"As if! Before you forget, I'm a lady and ladies don't burp!"

"Well, you're not much of a lady, that's for sure." Chouji said casually.

"Just you wait, Chouji! In ten years you'll regret saying that!"

"I don't think I'll remember in ten years."

"Ah! Would you guys just be quiet!" Shikamaru interrupted. "I can't think while you guys argue about food. Ino, first of all, Chouji's chronic binging runs in his family so he can't help it. You need to respect that and lay off nagging him. And Chouji, you're not supposed to do that in front of girls."

"Damn! You're right about that." Chouji said, the gears in his food-for-brains moving.

"Putting this subject aside, I believe we have arrived." Shino said, stopping the group in front of Hinata's house.

"Wow! I've only been here a dozen times, but I still can't get used to the size!" Kiba exclaimed, and they ran in through the front door and slipped off their shoes and ran into the kitchen.

"We're home!" Hinata and Naruto exclaimed.

"Oh! Welcome, ojou-sama, Naruto-kun! Treats everyone?" Tenten said from her position near the oven as she pulled out a fresh batch of brownies. "Come around, there's enough for everyone!" Then everyone crowded around her and received a brownie slice on their plate.

"This is delicious, Tenten-neechan!" Kiba remarked.

"Arigatou!" everyone exclaimed and continued eating their treat.

"You're welcome!"

… … …

The night of the festival-

Naruto and Hinata made their way to their crowd of friends. They waved to them and joined them in the fun. Naruto and Gaara 'watched' as their friends played the booth games. They remained supportive of their friends while at the same time wanting to play the games as well, but seeing as how they're blind, they couldn't play that well.

"They sound like they're having fun." Gaara sighed.

"Well, we could join them." Naruto said.

"We're blind. We couldn't toss a ball at a pyramid of bottles to save our lives." Gaara said.

"True, but it's not all about games."

"Hey, Naruto! Gaara! Check it out! I won a stuffed dog toy!" Kiba announced as he won the prize for the bottle toss game.

"Naruto-kun? Let's both try a game." Hinata suggested.

"But Hinata-chan, I can't see anyways."

"I'll help you then!"

"Okay!"

Naruto and Hinata walked over to a fish catching booth and if you caught one, it became yours. Naruto felt for a fishnet and Hinata guided his hand over to one fish in the tank and pulled it into a bowl of water.

"You got it!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Only 'cause you helped me! Thanks, Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed when they got it and returned to their friends.

"Naruto-kun? Can we…walk together…alone?" Hinata hesitated, gathering her courage together.

"Why go alone?"

"You see, we never…get some time for…ourselves, you know?" Hinata started stuttering, which she hadn't done for a while.

"Why are you suddenly stuttering now? I thought you were done with that? If you wanted to walk with me, all you had to do was ask me straightforward, right?"

"I do…but I have something…I need to tell you." Hinata said nervously while blushing. This time though, Naruto sensed Hinata's flush.

"Does it have anything to do with why you're flustered?"

"Y-y-yes."

"Okay then…"

… … …

Naruto and Hinata walked together alone and watched the fireworks that were shaped like flowers. But since Naruto couldn't see it, Hinata opted to tell him what she saw. Naruto was awestruck. He never knew something beautiful like fireworks could be so amazing. By the sounds of it, he knew it was something amazing. But this wasn't the time to wonder about fireworks, he knew something was wrong with Hinata. She wouldn't pull him away from their friends just to watch the fireworks. They could do that as a group, so why do it alone?

"Um, Hinata-chan? What did you want to tell me that was so important?" Naruto asked.

Hinata's face grew bright red, but she calmed her nerves down and started talking calmly, which brought her blush down to a mild pink.

"Well Naruto-kun, what do you think of me?" Hinata asked.

"As in what? A friend? A housemate? A girl?"

"Well, all of them, I guess? I just wanted to know." Hinata said,

"Well, when I first met you that day at the park, I was so happy for the first time and that you were the reason and my savior from darkness and loneliness." Naruto said deeply reminiscing the past few months that went by. "You're a great friend and housemate. You've done more than enough for me and I can't help but want to repay you for your kindness and generosity.

"Even though I can't really see you, I know that you're really beautiful by the sound of your voice and feelings. You've showed me much more than those ungrateful parents of mine will ever hope to give me. Arigato, Hinata-chan." Naruto's face grew into a warm smile of gratefulness and it nearly made Hinata to faint at that, but she was far stronger than she gave herself credit.

"I want to tell you something that I was meaning to tell you that first night we you into our home." Hinata said, smiling gently and not blushing at all because she was finally ready for whatever happened. "From the day I first found you at the park, I've wanted to save you from the darkness. I wanted to become your friend, and I know that we've made a ton of new friends and that you're no longer alone. I wanted to say that…through it all…I-" Hinata gulped before continuing.

"Naruto-kun, I love you. And I finally found you, the real you." She confessed.

… … …

Next Chapter: Loving Me?


	6. Loving Me?

**Let me be your eyes**

**-**Chiba Hiro

**Summary**: **Naruto has been blind since birth, but that's the least of his worries. His parents think that because he is blind-for possibly forever-he'll be weak for the rest of his life and that he'll be under constant protection and surveillance. He yearns to be free from his eternal prison and overprotective and paranoid parents. One day though, he is pushed beyond the limits of what he could take, so he runs away, far away. But, who is this girl he meets along the way? Will she be the one with the key to his freedom? NarutoxHinata pairing. Please R&R.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its content. All of it belongs to the rightful creators! Enjoy!**

... ... ...

**Chapter 5: **Loving me?

That night, Naruto tried to process all of what Hinata said at the festival in his room. He confessed that he thought she was beautiful, and she came back around with a love confession. After all, weren't they only eight, almost nine, years old? They truly didn't know what the meaning of love was. He'd be deluding himself if he didn't love her, still. He wasn't like most other kids that believed that girls had 'cooties', that was just another lie made up by the parents to tell their kids. He knew better now, though. Hinata was not like most other girls.

She had this aura of security around her, like she could provide something for him that no one else could. She was the first friend he made, and what's more, she helped him in more places than one. He thought back on his position in life. Wasn't he supposed to be concerned with child-like things? He's supposed to play outside, go to the park, go on the swings, and do other kid's stuff, so why was he thinking about a subject that was far too ahead of his age limit to even ponder.

The confession sure threw him for a loop, Hinata was a lot braver than anyone gave her credit. Despite her shyness, she can find the tiniest cracks in people's hearts and make them open up to her, and she did the same thing, albeit a little slower than others. She was more intelligent than other kids, but being raised in a family where she was supposed to the heir to the Hyuuga Co., it was to be expected, right? She was far more mature than her age, and acted almost like an adult.

He hoped that when they grew older, they would still be together. But, would his parents let him go? They were probably out there still looking for him. He didn't want to think about them, nor did he want them to find him. Silence and invisibility is pure bliss for him, and he drifted off to sleep.

_With Minato and Kushina_

Sasuke and Sakura approached the distressed parents, and hesitantly reported their findings, or their lack thereof. Minato was starting to believe that their son would never be found. After all, it had been at least two months since they last saw the boy, but that doesn't mean that he cared any less than Kushina about Naruto, but that Kushina cared more, almost to the point of obsession and a slight hint of crazy.

As each day passed by and no sign of the boy was reported, they began to lose hope in finding him, but Kushina was convinced that her son was still alive, and in the custody of someone else. Minato would be having a business meeting with the Hyuugas the following day, and now it would be all the more wiser to ask his rivals what became of his son, right? After all, it was rare to _not _find the boy, because who else had spiky blonde hair, and blue eyes? Not very many, since the majority of Japan sprouted black hair and brown eyes, but other than a few mixed and integrated families, their features were that of westerners. Who else has heard of a natural blonde haired Japanese man, like Minato, or redheaded woman, like Kushina? But, that would be the only thing he'd lose to.

"What is your report now?" Minato sighed.

"We have sources say that he has been spotted." Sakura said.

"Really? Where? Who has him? Is he alright?" Kushina all but exploded at that moment, since her face was completely pale and signs of anxiety and endless tears left their mark on her face, meanwhile, Minato never shed a tear at all, being what he is to the company, he had to compose himself.

"Witnesses spotted him attending school at Konoha Elementary School, on the other side of Tokyo." Sakura continued.

"He's going to...a school?" Kushina breathed, hardly able to believe it. "Go on. What else?"

"He is with the daughter of the Hyuuga, Hyuuga Hinata." she said.

"He's with a girl?"

"Yes."

"Is he staying with the girl's family?" Minato asked.

"Yes, he walks with her to their home."

"Do you know where they live?"

"Yes."

"Then, why didn't you bring Naruto with you?" Kushina asked.

"Guards won't let mere servants like us to trespass on private property without written assent from our masters." Sasuke finally said.

"Fine, but I'll be sure to bring the subject of the matter at the meeting with Hyuuga tomorrow." Minato said. "You're dismissed."

_The next day_

Naruto had been silent throughout breakfast and had not talked at all with Hinata or the other Hyuuga family members. Even when he walked with Hinata to school, he didn't speak, yesterday's confession did much to his thinking process, and Hinata had no intention of disturbing him, having no idea what to say to him afterward, but she was curious as well. Oh, well asking never hurt anyone, did it?

"Um, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"Hmm?"

"You've been quiet since this morning. What are you thinking about?" Hinata noted his silence was not one of depression or discomfort, but thoughtfulness.

"Uh, do you remember yesterday, when you, uh...confessed to me?"

"Uh, ye-yes!" Hinata blushed, thinking back on it. "What about it?"

At this, Naruto's face grew red like hers.

"I never gave you a proper answer after it."

"That's okay, Naruto-kun, I wasn't e-expecting an a-answer anyway."

"No, you deserve a proper answer." Naruto affirmed.

He took a deep breath, and took both of Hinata's hands in his own.

"Here goes. Hinata, you said you loved me, right and said you 'found' the real me, right?"

"Uh-huh." Hinata blushed too.

"I just wanted to say that you took me by surprise, and that I l-li-liked you b-before you s-said anything." Naruto said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was just too afraid of letting you know, and what with our age and everything, I thought it'd be inappropriate." Naruto said.

"I..."

"Wait, let me say that you have more courage than any other person I know, and you helped me with everything. I...can't thank you enough, Hinata-chan, and I wish I could return the favor. Hinata-chan, I wish I could see you right now. I really do, I-"

Just then, Hinata interrupted him by cradling his cheek with her free hand, and pressed her lips to Naruto's cheek. (A/N: They're children, remember? Sick bastards!) This new development caught Naruto by surprise, but allowed Naruto to do the same thing and give a peck on Hinata's cheek as well. (A/N: What are you thinking now?)

"Mornin', guys!" Kiba broke in, and Naruto and Hinata broke away from each other, both kids red in the face like strawberries (A/N: the tomato thing got old real fast, gotta try something new for a change).

"Mornin' to you too!" Naruto exclaimed in an upbeat tone, wondering if they've been caught, but if they have then Kiba and the others did not show any sign that they did.

"Oh, good morning, too!" Hinata joined in, redder than ever (if that's possible?) and the group laughed together.

Kiba and their other group of friends came to join them at the intersection before they got within the school limits. There was endless chatter among them, and Hinata wondered if she'll ever be able to get Naruto alone again. She knew he needed time to think things over, but she couldn't help herself. She resigned herself to wait.

_At the meeting with the Hyuugas_

Minato entered the Hyuuga building with his vice-president and secretary Tsunade and Shizune behind him, and Hiashi came to greet them with his vice-president and secretary.

"Good morning, Namikaze-san." Hiashi lent his hand out to shake Minato's offering hand.

"And you too, Hyuuga-san. But, please call me Minato."

"As you wish, and to be fair, call me Hiashi."

The two of them took their seats opposite of each other, and their vice-presidents and secretaries stood by next to them while they chatted about the business between their two companies. Minato decided to break the ice by dropping the million dollar question on the Hyuuga president.

"Hiashi-san?"

"Yes, Minato-san?"

"I don't suppose you know about my son, do you?" Minato asked.

"No, I didn't know you had a son." Hiashi answered.

"I have a son that has an uncanny resemblance like me. Blonde hair? Blue eyes? Disability? He goes by the name of Naruto." Minato smirked as he caught the sweat dripping off of Hiashi's forehead.

"I...I do know of him." Hiashi said warily. "What do you want to know?"

"Is he staying with you?"

"Yes."

"Is he friends with your daughter?"

"Yes."

"Why have you kept him all this time and not report this to the authorities?"

"You see...there's been a slight complication..."

"I don't quite understand, Hiashi-san."

"It would've been about three weeks after the boy started living with us..."

_Flashback_

_Naruto walked into Hiashi's study room one night, and Hiashi turned to the boy._

_"Hyuuga-san?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"You said you filed an adoption paper for me, right?"_

_"I did."_

_"Why did you do that?"_

_"I've always wanted a son of my own."_

_"You what?"_

_"When Hinata came in with you, you were a stray and I just couldn't help but comply and take you in with us. It may have been pure selfishness because I didn't want to take you in because of my biased opinion on the Namikazes. You are a Namikaze, are you not?"_

_"Yes...I am. What are you gonna do now?" Naruto asked hesitantly._

_"You look just like a rival of mine, and I think when I ran a background check on you, you turn up to be the son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. You ran away from them."_

_"I had no choice."_

_"Why did you run away?"_

_Sorrow flooded onto his face, and Hiashi thought the boy would start crying, but he didn't._

_"They kept me locked in like a prisoner...thinking I was weak and useless." Naruto explained about his life with his parents, and after hearing all that, Hiashi was undoubtedly moved by it, and was shocked at how low they treated him. This was obviously the first time in a long time that he had roamed freely. Hiashi realized that if Hinata was like that, he'd no doubt do the same thing, but it's different. Hiashi decided to do what was best for the boy._

_"Do you want to reconsider entering my family?" Hiashi asked._

_"I don't wanna go back to my mom and dad. Even if they had me back, they would keep me in like a prisoner again, and leave me alone and lost with no one. I don't know if I want to go back to that. For a long time, I had been alone, but your daughter, Hinata-chan, saved me from that...my own loneliness and darkness."_

_"I see."_

_"Do you think any less of me now, Hyuuga-san?" Naruto asked, looking off to the side dejectedly._

_It took some time for Hiashi to process all this, but Hiashi was sure the answer was take him in. So he did._

_"I was firm with my decision the first time." He said._

_"Huh?"_

_"You are welcome to join my family. Either as a Hyuuga or not." Hiashi said. "But, you must forsake the Namikaze name if you do that. Would you be willing to do that. If by title alone, you would be referred to as 'Uzumaki Naruto' and not 'Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto', internally and legally, you will be referred to as 'Hyuuga Naruto'. Do you want to accept this?"_

_Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding._

_"...Will you give me some time to think it over?"_

_"Of course I will."_

_Late that night, Naruto came back to the study room with his firm decision._

_"Hyuuga-san? I've made my decision." he said._

_"What will it be?" Hiashi asked, turning his chair so that he met eye-to-eye with the blonde boy._

_"I want to be a Hyuuga."_

_"Alright."_

_"But, would I be referred to as Hinata-chan's brother? Or friend still?"_

_"Either way, she'll still be there for you."_

_"Because...I think I think I like her...you know, like, like her."_

_Hiashi thought about it a moment before realizing it._

_"Oh...so you're enamored with my daughter?"_

_"Um, yes?"_

_Hiashi's stern look broke and he laughed. This confused Naruto as he had been expecting the opposite. Hiashi took a minute to compose himself before his face fell back to seriousness._

_"If that's the case, and you are...you can't very well be a Hyuuga, right?"_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because you have confessed that you loved Hinata as more than a friend."_

_"Ye-yes."_

_"You will someday marry her, is that what you were thinking of?"_

_"I...I don't know about marriage."_

_"Do you know what marriage is, boy?"_

_"I know that it's when two people who love each other very much are bound together, right?"_

_"That's correct." Hiashi said. "What I want to know is, do you want to marry Hinata?"_

_"Wh-wha? I don't understand! I'm only eight! I'm too young to be thinking about marriage!"_

_Hiashi laughed again._

_"Ha, that's life for you. Tell you what, I'll approach you with this question again in ten years, how will you respond then?"_

_"I don't know if I'll remember or if I'll even still be here by then."_

_"True, ten years is a very long time, but how about you ask yourself when that time comes; do you want to marry Hinata?"_

_With that in mind, the conversation was closed for the night and was never spoken about again._

_End Flashback_

"So, my son confessed that he's in 'love' with your daughter?" Minato asked incredulously.

"Indeed."

"This creates a strange development."

"It does, Minato-san. But, still I cannot let you have the boy back."

"And why not?" Minato's face darkened in silent anger.

"Because he is my ward now."

"What? You have to get permission from the guardian first. As such, I have not consented to this arrangement. Naruto is not yours."

"I have a piece of mind to adopt him with money, and I spent a good amount of my fortune to keep him, and he is now under me. You cannot take him, because of your emotional abuse on the boy's mind. He is a valuable asset to society, and he will stay in it, not out of it."

"Who the hell do you think you are, Hiashi?" Minato challenged, and stood up to Hiashi.

"Sit down, Minato. It is unbecoming of the president of the Namikaze Co."

"Fine." Minato said begrudgingly, and sat back down on his chair.

"As the position stands, I'm afraid he's no longer your son."

"But, he's not a Hyuuga."

"No, we did not give him the Hyuuga name, but we put him in our family anyway as our ward. That's what wards are for, they're for keeping people in a family while they're not necessarily in legal relation to it. He can keep his original name, but he is no longer your son in anything but blood. Now, I think this meeting is declared over now, don't you think?" Hiashi smirked, which was uncharacteristic of him outside on business matters, but he felt he needed to show Minato his place.

"...Fine...you win." Minato said.

"Glad you see it my way, Minato-san."

"Good day to you, _Hiashi-san_" Minato said through a gritted smile, even though he was seething inside, he'd have plenty of time to vent at home in the private quarters of his home. But, he'd have to let Kushina know the news. She'd be devastated of course, but even if Naruto was lost to them, they could still have another, right? And with that, Minato left the Hyuuga building.

... ... ...

A/N: Hi, all! Sorry it's been WAY too long since I last updated this story. But, I felt that I should at least finish this much. I had completely forgotten about this story because of how busy I had been in school. This week is spring break (Yay!) and it's a good a time as any to update my story. I hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to rate and review, and I'll come back soon (I guess) with the last installment in this story! Until next time!

Next chapter: Ten Years Later and Epilogue


	7. Epilogue: Ten Years Later

**Summary**: **Naruto has been blind since birth, but that's the least of his worries. His parents think that because he is blind-for possibly forever-he'll be weak for the rest of his life and that he'll be under constant protection and surveillance. He yearns to be free from his eternal prison and overprotective and paranoid parents. One day though, he is pushed beyond the limits of what he could take, so he runs away, far away. But, who is this girl he meets along the way? Will she be the one with the key to his****freedom****? NarutoxHinata pairing. Please R&R.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its content. All of it belongs to the rightful creators! Enjoy!**

... ... ...

Epilogue: Ten Years Later

A seventeen, almost eighteen, year old Naruto lay in the hospital bed after the weeks spent in forwarding his eye surgery. The advancement of technology in Japan made it so that they could give sight to people who were blind, with a hefty price too. It just so happened that the Hyuuga Co. spent a quarter of a billion yen into paying for the young man's eye surgery.

Right now, the boy was just about to finish his third year of high school, along with his girlfriend for almost two-and-a-half years. His birthday was the next day, October 10th, and for his birthday present, they gave him the eye surgery.

There were things in the past ten years that had been resolved. After meeting with the Hyuuga Co. several years ago, Minato gave up on the search for Naruto, and simply left things the way they were. It took some time to get Kushina to recover from such an ordeal. Three years after the incident, they were blessed with their second child, a girl by the name of Naruko. She looked and reminded them of Naruto. The curse of having a second child with great resemblance to the first child was haunting to say the least, but hopefully they learned their lesson.

Kushina eventually got her mind back on track and began acting like a suitable mother. She and Minato both had to pay a hefty fine for the abuse and neglect they placed upon Naruto, and they served time in jail for the first three years after Naruto turned 10. They were let out of their sentence and swore to never abuse their few days old baby, Naruko.

They put in time to send the girl to school when she reached the suitable age. Kushina and Minato even went so far as to send their second child to the same elementary school as their ex-son. It had taken a far longer time for Naruto to forgive them, but eventually they went back to friendly terms. Kushina and Minato did not treat him as their son, but treated him as a respectable adult, and human being.

Kushina vowed that no matter the cost, she will not let their second child suffer the same mistakes she and Minato both did to Naruto. She didn't deserve to be treated the same way, and thus never brought it up to the child who was still in her childhood. Little Naruko got around to visiting Naruto at the Hyuuga residence and called him her 'nii-san'. Naruto liked having a little sister around once in a while.

Naruko was always looking forward to the visits to Naruto and Hinata. Along the same lines, Tenten and Neji, and Sakura and Sasuke got married in year 5 after they each became friends. The year after the marriages, Sasuke and Sakura both had twins, a girl and a boy, named Yuko and Yugi. Then, Neji and Tenten followed about a few months later and had their first of three children for a few years, Haru, a girl, followed by Ken, the only boy, and lastly a girl named Megumi.

Lee decided to pursue another career as a live action movie star. He soon became known as the second coming of Bruce Lee. His amazing martial arts prowess and abilities earned him #1 action movie star of the year, twice in a row. Gai, his sensei, followed him as his manager, and the two haven't made much contact with the two families for many years, probably because of their busy schedules.

Shikamaru, the first in Naruto and Hinata's year, graduated high school early and got a job with one of the nation's biggest research and development facilities. He was reluctant at first, but with a stern confrontation and lecture from his furious mother, and stubborn, three years older, girlfriend, Temari forced him to get his act together and become the top of his class. It was an effortless task for the lazy genius. After testing him, he began working on developing the country's first laser eye surgery to restore a person's sight. They worked fast on it, and decided to test it on many blind animals and humans, and it worked! He then won the nobel prize for such a feat, which he accepted with _such_ enthusiasm.

As for the rest of Naruto and Hinata's friends, they went to different high schools to do different things. Gaara left sometime in their second grade middle school year and went to Sabaku Junior High, while his older brother, Kankuro went to the high school there. Gaara moved through the ranks and became the senior student council president of Sabaku Preparatory High School. Kankuro left for Crow Community College, and pursued an early career as an artist and part-time puppet maker.

Haku, one of their most notable friends, became a model for women's clothing. It turned out that the industry couldn't accept him as a regular male model, but they would take him as the perfect 'female' model. He was reluctant at first, but his teacher, Zabuza followed him to become his manager. He was also the second person in Naruto's group of friends to become famous in Japan, after Lee, of course. After many arguments and teasings by his friends, he finally accepted his role as a model, and did it proudly. He also became a scholar at Tokyo University. Because of his heightened intelligence, he also graduated high school a earlier than the rest.

Kiba went westward to work on becoming a veterinarian's assistant since he is so keen on working with pets, and his dog, Akamaru had grown so large in the process.

Shino also graduated early from high school and became a bug researcher and scientist. His overall serious and intellectual work ethic earned him a title. A month after graduating, he left for America with his father to find jobs there.

Ino was Shikamaru's ex-girlfriend. After her break up with Shikamaru, and having cheated on Shikamaru with a random guy, Shikamaru got serious for once and left her. Well, she did deserve it. Although they left on such negative terms, Shikamaru was not one to hold a grudge for a long time, and eventually forgave her for it. In the end, Shikamaru ended up with Temari, a girl from university, and working at the same institute he was at. After getting to know her, she started showing a soft side to the lazy boy, and even started going out with him. The funny thing was that she was the first to ask Shikamaru out! It came as a big surprise, but Shikamaru knew that she was an ambitious one, and always got what she wanted, in the end. He kind of wanted it as well.

Chouji wanted to become a chef and went to France to go to a very prestigious culinary arts high school there. In the last few years alone, Chouji had lost a great deal of weight, but was still chunky in the end (Don't tell him that, though!). He had many successes and even opened up the first of the Akimichi BBQ Restaurant at eighteen years old. Even though he just started, he's a widely known chef.

Kakashi, Naruto and Hinata's old elementary school teacher, decided to become an adult novelist. After becoming inspired by the books of the legendary mononymous, Jiraiya, he started writing a series of his own, and eventually hit it as a rising author.

Asuma, Shikamaru's middle school teacher, died of lung cancer. It wasn't a big of a surprise because he had a smoking problem, and smoked a bit too much when his lungs finally gave up on him. After receiving the news, Shikamaru became inspired to do good things for other people and to stop being lazy all the time. His want to change the world, and save Naruto, one of his best friends, made him open his eyes to reality.

Tsunade became Naruto and Hinata's principal at Konoha High School, and grew to be a very tough teacher and friend of the Hyuugas and Namikazes. Of course, that didn't make her give any lenience to the two. Shizune became the vice principal along with her and followed Tsunade everywhere she went as her former student and intern. Tsunade was very extravagant and started a gambling streak, but sucked big time. After owing so much debt, she met the Namikazes and quit for good, only taking her pet pig, Tonton with her and Shizune. The only good things about her were her huge chest, and young-looking, age defying features.

As for Naruto's first teacher, Kurenai, she got pregnant with her only son, Konohamaru. After some years, she was allowed to see his first pupil after she found out that he was no longer with his parents, and in the custody of the Hyuugas. She visibly exhaled, and calmed after finding out that her student was growing into a fine young man. There were no hard feelings between her and Minato and Kushina. Kurenai forgave them, and they had viable reasons for firing her, and keeping their son away. But, they were also wrong in their doing so. Kurenai was also one of the first people to get tested with the new laser treatment for blindness. The first sight was always a shock, and after the proof of her sight, she could finally see her student for the first time.

Matsuri, Gaara's little cousin who was born a few years back, attended the same elementary school as her other friends, the sons and daughters of Neji, Tenten, Sakura, and Sasuke, as well as Naruko herself. Naruko, Matsuri, Haru, and Yuko became best of friends, while their brothers, Yugi, Konohamaru, and Ken, the only boys, became best buddies.

Orochimaru, an old classmate of the three most famous figures in Japan, became the most notorious criminal and child molester. He is now spending a great deal of time in jail for his crimes, and at one point tried to mess with Sasuke, but was turned in to the police by Sakura.

Finally, there are our characters today. Naruto reminisced through how much has changed in the past, and he just couldn't wait to go back to the present. He had been through so much in the past, and even did so much as to prove himself to the world, despite his disability. And, if they wouldn't deter, his girlfriend, Hinata would back him up and defend him if he needed it.

Meanwhile, Hinata was shopping around Konoha Mall for her boyfriend's birthday gift. She was excited to see his face when he could finally see her! The tortures that she endured through the years were endless. She longed for the day they could see each other. Sure, Hinata vowed to be Naruto's eyes for as long as conceivably possible, but she still wished there was a way to make Naruto _see _her.

After they turned 15, they became an official couple, letting the whole world know their relationship, and have stuck together ever since they were 8 years old. True, they were too young to understand the concept of love, and both of them decided to stay close friends until they were of suitable age to start dating. The wait was worth it, but once they became a couple, they're practically married already. The only thing missing is a wedding ring.

Hinata whistled as she skimmed through the aisles of the store and browsed through some sweaters, jackets, hats, charms, and all manner of clothing and accessories. She giggled inwardly. Why did she wait until the last day to get her boyfriend a gift? Well, it was because she wanted it to be special, and fresh! It was late, but it was the value of the freshness that she was after. Of course, Naruto would never know since it's a secret, but she wanted it to be extra special this year.

Hinata passed by a particularly eye-catching orange jacket with red swirls, and black sleeves. It was perfect! Why pick orange? Well, a few years back, Hinata described to Naruto what the color orange was, and he immediately decided that orange was his favorite color. It was silly, but it was an extra special day! She took the jacket, checked the size, which was perfect for her nearly six-foot-tall, blonde boyfriend.

She admitted that she liked what she picked, and it even suited Naruto well. After some more thinking, she paid for the jacket and left the store to wrap it up.

… … …

October 10th was a big day indeed. Today, Naruto was going to unwrap his bandages after waiting for nearly two weeks. He was anxious to remove them, but Shikamaru, or should we say Dr. Shikamaru, had overseen his surgery and performed it himself. He said he didn't want Naruto to unwrap them until the preparations were set.

It felt like ages, but Naruto spent the morning doing his usual routine. He ate breakfast, took a bath, listened to the radio, and continued lying in his bed. Time passed quickly, and Naruto awoke to several voices. He sat up in bed, and some nurses came up to him for a greeting.

"Naruto-san?" one of the nurses asked. "It's time to go onto your wheelchair!"

"Huh?" Naruto went. "What's happening?" he was confused for he hadn't been requested to go onto his wheelchair for a while now, and maybe he needed to exercise his tired muscles.

Naruto felt around for the wheelchair that the nurses provided for him, and sat in it. The other nurse pushed Naruto out of the room.

"Wh-where are we going?" Naruto asked. He was used to asking the direction they were going. After years of blindness, he would never be able to tell which direction they were taking him.

"It's a surprise, Naruto-kun!" the second nurse said.

The foot of Naruto's wheelchair stopped at a table in the dining room. The room was quiet for a while, and Naruto propped his hands onto the table and waited.

"3…2…1." Shikamaru counted.

Immediately, a loud chorus of cheers and 'happy birthday's came and startled the young blonde. He was so shocked and overcome with happiness that he couldn't speak for a while.

"A…Um…Guys? Is everyone actually here?" he asked rhetorically, because it sounded like everyone he knew, and a few others he didn't recognize, were there.

"Yes, everyone made it for your eighteenth birthday, Naruto-kun!" Hinata said lovingly, and kissed him, which she gave in return, signaling the room to go 'aww!', and the kids to go 'eww!'. "Happy birthday!"

"Ah! Thank you, Hinata-chan!"

"Yup, Naruto-kun!" Lee's voice, a voice he hadn't heard in five years, shouted. "We have returned after such a long time to celebrate your eighteenth birthday!" Naruto could hear the 'ping' his teeth made when he did his signature 'nice move' pose.

"I baked you a huge cake!" Chouji said. "It's specially made from the French art of baking!" everyone laughed at that.

"We came back from America to say our greetings as well." Shino said.

"Naruto-kun, I want to convey my congratulations as well." Haku said.

"You were the first student I had that made me want to pursue a goal." Kakashi said. "After you moved up, I wanted to congratulate you on becoming what you are today."

"I have also made it." Kurenai said. "My son and I want to congratulate you on coming this far. You have become a fine young man." She continued to hold Naruto in her sight, as if she were seeing him and the others in a new light.

"You're my godson, and student, and we'll always be there for you, no matter how cheesy that sounds." Tsunade said.

"You were always like a little brother and friend to us." Sasuke started, no hint of his usual personality in it. "Sakura and I regret everything we ever put you through."

"Son…" Minato started. "No matter how many times your mom and dad say 'we're sorry', we'll always remember the huge mistakes we made, and how much 'sorry' isn't even acceptable. We may have said this a million times, but although you're no longer our son legally, you will forever be loved." Minato finished.

"I also cannot say how terribly sorry I am for having put you through so much hardship." Kushina started, and the room grew very glum. "I know I am to blame for your suffering." Her voice became tear-filled. "I'm sorry…I n-never saw you as my…ch-child...I only wanted you…I-I only w-wanted to pr-protect you. B-but, you were capable of so…so much…and you deserved a…ch-chance." A few sounds of sobbing came from a few people, but the most notable one was Naruko-chan, Naruto's little sister, and was understandable.

"I-I…I know I will never be able to…to take everything I did…back…b-but, I hope someday I could be forgiven…" Kushina was now crying a little more, the overall emotion and sincerity drowning out her voice, and even making Naruto feel like shedding tears. This type of apology he's never heard from Kushina before, and although the mistakes she made were severe, he knew he would never be able to hold a grudge against his own mother.

"I…am so…SO incredibly sorry!" Kushina all but cried the last part out, and hugged her son tightly. This happy event may have turned to a crying fest, but Naruto was keen on trying to keep everything together. When he was composed himself, he wrapped his arms around his mother, and comforted her while she cried.

After she was finished, the light mood returned.

"Happy birthday!" Kushina exclaimed after wiping the tears away and calming down. She handed Naruto a plush toy, something from his past that felt familiar, but at the same time filled him with nostalgia. He felt it, and remembered that it was Kitsune-kun that kept him company while he was locked up in his room.

"It's Kitsune-kun." Naruto said.

"Yes, we only found it now, and we wanted to give you this as a way to convey our love for you." Kushina said. "You are a wonderful son, and I only wish you could still be."

Naruto gave it some thought.

"I…also wish I could be your son." Naruto said, a smile appearing on his face. "But, it's too late to change the law. Once it's done, it can never be undone. You see me enough as it is, and I'm also glad that you're my mother. I wouldn't have existed otherwise." Hinata linked hands with Naruto, and placed her smaller, warm palm on top of Naruto's.

"Since it's a happy birthday, I want to give you the best gift of all!" Hinata said. She placed a box in Naruto's arms.

Naruto fingered it, and opened the box. Inside, he felt a jacket material of some kind. Hinata's gifts were always amazing, and he could always use a new jacket.

"It's a jacket!" Naruto exclaimed, and pulled it out.

"Try it on!"

Naruto put the jacket on, and found it rather comforting. Many people were probably going to give him clothes for his birthday, but this one he could feel how special it was. It could be the ugliest piece of clothing in the world, yet Naruto wouldn't care at all, as long as the one who gave it cherished him for it, and he would accept it. Naruto embraced Hinata a long time.

"Ahem!" Shikamaru cleared his throat to signal that they needed to move on. Suddenly, their attention turned toward the pineapple-haired teen doctor, and moved away a little bit to give him room. "While these are all cute moments here, I'd like to remind everyone what we came here for." He clapped his hands twice. "Chouji!"

An item was placed on the table, and Naruto was turned in his wheelchair so he was facing the table.

"Okay, he's been agitated the whole day, and has been itching to take off his bandages for weeks now." Shikamaru said as a matter of factly.

"So…does this mean I could take 'em off now?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

"Yes." Shikamaru said. "I'll give Hinata the honors of undoing it for you."

Hinata moved behind Naruto and began unwinding the layers of bandages. Naruto's heart raced a mile a minute. His excitement couldn't be contained, but he wanted to be patient for everyone. Beads of sweat formed on the temples of his head, and dripped down his chin. He gulped nervously, and everyone watched silently at the unveiling. The last of the bandages came off ever so slowly, and everyone leaned in for a closer look.

Naruto's eyes struggled to open, and slowly they fluttered open. Naruto's line of sight was black for a bit, until an image blurred in his eyes, and color and light flooded in. His eyes were now open fully, and the room spun to life, and he saw people and colors. He shielded his sensitive eyes for a minute before he let his eyes adjust to his level. Once he opened his eyes a second time, it all became clear to him.

"Wow!" he went. "I…I can see." He whispered, and blinked to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "I can see!"

"Yay!" the room chorused with cheers and everyone clapped.

"Blow out the candles, nii-san!" His little sister, Naruko shouted.

He did as he was told, and looked to find an orange-icing topped cake. He knew it was orange at first instinct. With the candles blown out, everyone clapped, and started serving cake to him and everyone else.

After the cake was finished, Naruto got up from his wheelchair, and walked around the room, and everyone let him explore his newfound sight. He touched walls, and the floor, and looked out the window to see the setting sun. All these new and fascinating shapes and colors were filling him with excitement. He touched the window sill, and felt the smooth white edge, and let his hand rest on there.

"You've all done so much for me." Naruto said quietly, but he could still be heard. He turned around, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes, but a huge smile appearing at the same time. He took the sleeve of his jacket and rubbed at his eyes. They still stung from the overwhelming sights, but since he could do it now, he would be seeing everything from now on, and continue exploring this strange new world. "Thank you."

"Yay!" Everyone clapped again. "Happy birthday!"

Just then, a girl his age, around 5'3" with long, straight lavender hair and blunt cut bangs, pale-colored eyes filled with warmth, a pinkish tint on her cheeks, and porcelain skin, walked through the parted crowd. She wore little to almost no makeup except a light mascara and pouty pink lips, while wearing a modest, dark purple dress that complimented her figure very well without being overly revealing and ended at her knees, completed with two-inch heels on her feet. She was a beautiful sight to behold, and looked like an angel to Naruto. Naruto blinked to make sure he wasn't dreaming, but when this angel came close to him, and lifted a thin, delicate hand up to cradle his cheek.

"Can you see me now?" she asked. Naruto held her within his sight, and then responded by touching the back of her hand with his. Naruto then realized that this pale angel was his girlfriend, Hyuuga Hinata.

"Y-yes." Naruto said, stunned and red dusted his face.

"Can you see yourself?" she asked, and held up a mirror so he could examine himself.

Naruto took the mirror and noted that he had spiky blonde hair, clear sapphire blue eyes, and everything Hinata described about him to be true. He looked over and recognized the faces and figures of his friends and family. They were all real, and his sight was real. He was no longer the blind child. From this day onward, he would be able to see everything.

"I can." He said with a smile.

"Thank you."

She responded with the first and most important smile he needed to see in the world. She pulled him closer with a strength only a Hyuuga could possess. She reached up, and kissed him lightly on the lips. Naruto responded and kissed her back. Then, they pulled away. The audience in the background started clapping and a few guys made cat calls, and 'go for it's.

With a shrug, the two went back to kissing, and the real party began.

_Let me be your eyes._

… … …

A/N: And thus ends a great story! Sorry I've been gone so long and have been neglecting this story that has been in my profile for months, unfinished. Well, I just thought since I have free time now from the overwhelming pile of school work, and homework, I could use this weekend to tie up any loose ends. Also, sorry if any of this made you cry. I apologize in advance if any of this made you tear up at any point. I know I made some people cry, but that's beside the point! Please rate and review, and tell me, my faithful readers, what do you think about my story? And, so without further ado, sayounara!


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